DRIVERS' SAFETY * USA - Government Improves Roof-Crush Standards

For the first time in more than three decades the federal government will require automakers to make the roofs of passenger cars and most light trucks stronger — much stronger...

Washington,DC,USA -The New York Times, by Christopher Jensen -May 5, 2009: -- The old standard required a roof to withstand pressure equal to one and a half times the vehicle’s curb weight. However, that weight — applied by a metal plate on one side of the roof — could not exceed 5,000 pounds... Under the new standard from the National Highway Traffic Safety Administration, the roof must withstand three times the curb weight of the vehicle, and there is no longer a 5,000-pound maximum. Furthermore, pressure will be applied first to one side and then the other side of the roof. For years, some safety advocates have asked for a two-sided test. They have argued that it better duplicates what happens when a vehicle rolls... (Photo from Insurance Institute for Highway Safety: Consumer advocates have been asking for better standards in rollover safety for years.)